The Panthers fell short after a comeback from a 17-point deficit in the 72-68 loss against UT Martin Saturday evening in Groniger Arena.

“We have to execute a little better, we have to run our sets a little better and they had some shots fall and we didn’t,” head coach Marty Simmons said.

Despite losing a 17-point lead, the Skyhawks didn’t back down with timely buckets from senior Vladamir Salaridze and sophomore guard Afan Trnka.

Eastern went on a 21-0 run to take a 48-45 lead with 11:57 left in the second half. This was the first time the Panthers led in the game.

“The second half performance was the best basketball we have played all year,” senior guard NaKyel Shelton said.

The run started on the defensive end for the Panthers with a steal from senior forward Rodolfo Bolis that turned into a layup for graduate guard Artese Stapleton.

On the next possession, junior guard Zion Fruster got a steal and got fouled on a fastbreak before knocking down two free throws.

“I was doing whatever to help the team, we picked it up on the defensive and that got us back in the game,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton and Fruster had 11 of their points coming in the second half. Stapleton finished with 16 points and three steals for the second straight game. Fruster finished with 13 points and three steals.

“In the second half, I tried to pick up the energy and motivation and that’s definitely what we needed, just being solid on defense and I think that’s what gets us going,” Fruster said.

Stapleton assisted Fruster for a big three that helped Eastern gain their biggest lead in the game, along with a three from Shelton. Shelton banked a three at the end of the first half that cut the deficit to 17 points.

That helped the Panthers take good momentum into the second half.

Despite losing a 17-point lead, the Skyhawks didn’t back down. The game was tied four times in the second half.

“We played poorly in the first half, execution and effort wise.” Simmons said.

The Panthers got outrebounded 24-14 and shot 25% from the three in the first half.

Miscommunication issues on the defensive end from the Panthers led to open shots for the Skyhawks.

“The guys really responded in the second half and put ourselves in a position to win,” Simmons said.

Eastern shot 51% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc in the second half.

UT Martin took the game for good with timely buckets from Salaridze and Trnka. Salaridze knocked down a free throw with 1:31 remaining in the game, which gave the Skyhawks a four point cushion.

Graduate forward Kooper Jacobi finished with 11 rebounds. He leads the OVC in rebounds with 9.1 per game.

With this loss, the Panthers moved to 4-12 in conference play and dropped down to last place in the OVC after Western Illinois recorded a win against Morehead State.

The Panthers will head to Evansville, Indiana on Thursday to compete against Southern Indiana. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Cameron Thomas can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.